Hay fever is usually worse between late March and September, especially when it’s warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest (pollen forecast).

Check if you have hay fever
Symptoms of hay fever include:

sneezing and coughing
a runny or blocked nose
itchy, red or watery eyes
itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
loss of smell
pain around your temples and forehead
headache
earache
feeling tired
If you have asthma, you might also:

have a tight feeling in your chest
be short of breath
wheeze and cough
Hay fever will last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks.

How to treat hay fever yourself
There’s currently no cure for hay fever and you can’t prevent it. But you can do things to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high.

Do
put Vaseline around your nostrils to trap pollen
wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes
shower and change your clothes after you’ve been outside to wash pollen off
stay indoors whenever possible
keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a special HEPA filter
Don’t
cut grass or walk on grass
spend too much time outside
keep fresh flowers in the house
smoke or be around smoke – it makes your symptoms worse
dry clothes outside – they can catch pollen
let pets into the house if possible – they can carry pollen indoors